Northwest Flight 253: Nigerian (Underwear) Bomber

The purpose of this Commercial and Business Aviation Advisory Circular
(CBAAC) is to alert air operators of the potential for in-flight fires
caused by the failure of lithium ion and lithium batteries contained in
portable laptop computers and other portable electronic devices.--
Potential for In-Flight Fires Due to Lithium Battery Failure

--The suspect in the attempted bombing of Northwest Flight 253 used a
highly explosive substance called PETN, . . . The explosives were carried
in a soft plastic container - possibly a condom - though much of the
packaging was destroyed in the fire, the official
said.--CBS News

--The most obvious use of PETN is as an
explosive. It is more sensitive to shock or friction than TNT or tetryl, and
it is never used alone.--Wikipedia

--The device intended to blow up the Northwest flight was made at the
location in Yemen, according to Abdulmutallab, and consisted of a six-inch
packet of powder and a syringe with a liquid. Both were sewn into the
student's underwear so they would be near his testicles and unlikely to be
detected, he told
agents.--ABC News

--80 Grams of PETN is roughly the equivalent of ten blasting caps, or 4
Hollywood type blood pack squibs. Yes, if 80 grams of PETN were sewn into
the crotch of our "terrorist's" underwear and detonated, it would blow his
balls off, but with the shock wave absorbed by his legs, not much more than
that. I think this underwear story is being put out to explain how our
"terrorist" got past the full body scanners at the Amsterdam airport; by
claiming the bomb was concealed behind the man's testicles. But as an
explosive, 80 grams of PETN is insufficient to bring down an airplane from
the crotch of a traveler's pants! This is simply not a credible
story.--Mike Rivero

---I am an electrical engineer by profession for over 30 years, and the
description of the explosion sounds just like a faulty battery on a personal
electronic device (PED). If the plane was just starting it's descent, it
could be he was stowing his device at the time of the explosion (turning it
on/off, cabin pressure fluctuations, etc.), a more likely time for the
battery to explode if it were faulty. These PED battery explosions are
typically "small" and limited in area, consistent with the reported events.
. . . Additionally, If he really wanted to blow up the plane, why would he
detonate a bomb with the explosive power to only hurt himself ? A pretty
dumb terrorist , I would
say.--Jim Hattis

--"The guy wasn't fighting or doing anything," Mr. Schilke said. "He was
just sitting there in the flames. I was shocked that he would do that." He
added that he was surprised at how little panic there was. Many passengers
who were farther away thought the pops were from fireworks, he said.--New York Times

--While Mutallab was poorly dressed, his friend was dressed in an
expensive suit, Haskell said. He says the suited man asked ticket agents
whether Mutallab could board without a passport. "The guy said, 'He's from
Sudan and we do this all the time.'"--mlive.com [Re Kurt Haskell's
boarding pass for NWA Flight 253: Isn't this the part that is collected at
boarding? How is it that Haskell still has it?]